My reaction to Chris Bridges’ column in the March 25 issue (“Something has to change soon”) about bonuses paid to some AIG employees was one of consternation.

That is not unusual for me when I encounter a liberal’s thought processes. I am sure Bridges will cling to his misconceptions, but since he tried to foist them onto his readers I wanted the opportunity to pass along some information the media has chosen to ignore.

American International Group was a huge and highly successful insurance and financial services company. It was brought down by its top management and the foolish actions of one of its divisions. Most, if not all of the people responsible for the company going broke are gone and have been for some time.

President Obama and the Congress decided the company was too big to be allowed to fail, so they loaned it a huge amount of taxpayer money to keep it out of bankruptcy.

They also asked a man named Edward Liddy to come out of retirement to help his country. He agreed to do so, and, I believe he is being paid $1 (one dollar) a year for his services.

The people who had caused AIG’s collapse had scurried away, but that left many of the highly qualified and talented people who had been running the company’s successful divisions. AIG was a sinking ship, and Liddy realized the best of those people would no doubt resign and seek more stable employment.

They needed those people to stay and help turn the company around, so they offered them contracts to assure them they would be treated fairly and be paid for their work. The company was struggling, so some of them followed Liddy’s lead by accepting $1 a year in salary.

All of them were assured they would be paid a “bonus” but that seems an odd word for a lump-sum payment to those who had been working for $1 per year.

These employment contracts were perfectly legal, and were approved by government officials, including members of Congress, the Treasury Secretary, and probably President Obama. The employees lived up to their half of the bargain, and many turned down other job offers to do so.

No doubt there were some bonuses paid to executives who do not fall into this group, but their bonuses were also paid to fulfill contractual obligations. Probably the only way to avoid paying them would have been declaring the company bankrupt, something the government had decided was not an option.

All that is easy enough to understand, but the real problem goes much deeper and is much more serious.

Americans are angry about the problems we face, and they should be. But that anger has been deliberately misdirected.

We should be angry at the people who caused the problem. That would consist for the most part of members of Congress — people like Barney Frank, who ignored the mess some of his friends were making at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, creating the real root of our problems.

But these old politicians are smart. They know they should be the object of our anger, and that the best way to avoid it is by making us angry at someone else instead.

So they rush to the microphones to direct our ire toward the people who were paid bonuses at AIG and all the “greedy” and “evil” people on Wall Street.

Sadly, the plan is working and liberal writers who fall for the scam are helping it along.

There is no shortage of evil or greed in corporate America. Many executives have been paid outrageous amounts they clearly didn’t need or deserve. That would include those who ruined AIG, General Motors, Chrysler, Citibank and the other companies the taxpayers are (perhaps foolishly) trying to bail out.

But the truth is they are no worse than the smug politicians who tell us they are going to save us by spending all our money and that of children not yet born.

Look, for example at Rep. Charles Rangel. He was so “furious” that he sponsored the recent legislation allowing the government to seize 90 percent of those legal bonuses paid by AIG with retroactive taxes. Of course all that hoopla helped divert attention from the back taxes he owes and his part in the mortgage mess bought about by forcing banks to loan money to people who could not or would not pay it back.

Senator Chris Dodd said he was outraged by “Wall Street greed” in an attempt to divert attention from himself. Dodd is the one who inserted the protections under which those bonuses were paid. He also took more AIG “political contribution” money than anyone else in Congress.

As for President Obama’s outrage at all the greed it should be noted that he alone signed the bonus provisions into law.

And, he was also happy to accept $100,000 in AIG contributions during his presidential campaign.

Stirring up the people’s anger is a political tactic dating back at least to ancient Athens.

We even have a word for those who do it: demagogue (a person, esp. an orator or political leader, who gains power and popularity by arousing the emotions, passions, and prejudices of the people.”).

Washington’s demagogues are encouraging us to scream for the blood of corporate executives, so as to avoid our screaming for theirs. Some have even furnished the names and addresses of bonus recipients so that the mob could picket their homes and harass their families,

The demagogues are, in effect, stirring up mob rule, the very thing that would destroy this great republic.

Brilliant!
Well said Mr.Godfrey
When this country needs heroes...Washington and the media give us zeros.
When the hard working folks need statesmen...Washington and the media give us celebrity politicians.
The left-wing media and the Barrow Journal are nothing but enablers for the criminal class in Washington.
All the folks want is the TRUTH.
Unfortunately for this country, the media and their cronies in Washington have a different agenda.
Great writing.
Now we know the rest of the story.

Well spoken, Bill...I, as a voter in this county, miss you on the commission...Myles, as much as I love you dearly, a right wing diatribe is just a right wing diatribe...call me a Democrat, but that is no longer a dirty word.

Myles,
Thanks for clearing up my misconceptions. I thought George W. Bush was in charge during our financial collapse. Imagine my surprise to discover that the real culprits were Barney Frank and Charles Rangel. Surprisingly, they are both Democrats. God bless the Republican Party for saving us from these minority scoundrels.

Sure, GW was in office. Last time I checked, Obama claimed he'd reduce our debt by half by the end of his first (and hopefully only) term. Now, it stands to be triple what it was when he inherited it from GW. Man, what kind of morons does he have working for him? Oh wait, it's the same guys and gals who can't make sure they have their taxes paid......

I listen to both sides and I try my best to think like a liberal, but I can't get my head out of the sand or up my butt far enough to be a true liberal or what has become the Democratic party.

Barney Frank and every other member of Congress who voted for this stimulus to hell should have READ it before it was forced through the voting process. Their posturing on when they interviewed Liddy was disgusting and sickening. Our founding fathers are rolling in their graves.

Lorin- keep writing. Cynthia Tucker at the AJC will probably need a replacement one day. Isn't it time to burn a bra or start a protest somewhere?

Healan- your smug demeanor and attitude is disgusting. It's hard to believe you were ever elected for anything. You are a disgrace.

The idea is to invest in fixing the problems that are killing (and will kill in the future) the nation's productivity like pothole-covered roads, crumbling bridges, bridges that will be crumbling without a fresh coat of paint, and making sure people can get healthcare _before_ it gets so bad that they have to go to the emergency room.

It's called investing. You spend money in the hopes that the money will be returned by the processes enabled by the money.

When people don't suffer from an illness because they can't afford the treatment, they can work harder.

When the roads between work and home have the upgrades and repairs needed to keep traffic flowing, their health improves from the reduced stress.

When people aren't crushed to death under a bridge that has needed repair for a decade or more, they work harder.

We have to jack up the debt so high now because your "conservatives" conserved us into a position where the alternative is a ruined infrastructure and a protracted depression.

Good post by Mr. Godfrey. I don't think the politicians really even need any misdirection to get the "sheeple" angry at people other than their govt. We the People are so afraid of our own govt that we will look to anyone else to show anger toward. The fear is well founded since there are armed men who will follow any order their "masters" give out. Police officers and Military people who think they are doing the right thing, are the enforcers behind these corrupt politicians.

"Tyranny occurs when the people are afraid of their government. Liberty happens when the government is fearful of its people"

We The People of Barrow County, GA will be showing our Unity and Solidarity with like minded Americans all across this Great Country on Wednesday 15th of April 2009 from 6:30pm to 8:30pm at the Front Steps of the Old Barrow County Court House Located in Winder at 30 N.Broad St. between Porter St. and W. Athens St.
This is a peaceful free speech demonstration, and we will be promoting the Fair Tax Act proposal, A redressing of government of our grievances, and for dissemination of factual information.
Bring the Family and show your Solidarity with like minded men & women.
This is a family event so no alcohol or firearms are permitted.
Thank You for your support & we look forward to seeing you there.

Offtopic postings seeking attention for something is spam. Especially if it isn't even tangentially relevant.

http://www.barrowjournal.com/pages/emailus.html

Found via the "Contact Us" link at the top. It is a bit out there past the content, so I can see how you missed it.

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